Yes, this is true. One of the consequences of a free O/S on which to build. The danger here is in ending up like Linux as discussed above.

I do believe Google is attempting to address this in future releases though...

I think that is the main motivation of releasing the Nexus line, especially at such tempting prices for the 4 and 7. They want to take back control of their product, rather than be hostage to device manufacturers and network operators.

Anything that starts very small will get impressive %age growth numbers.

This is so not true. Anyting that starts out small can also totally fail, stagnate, or experience only moderate slow growth.

The growth in size and revenues of Google's app store has been exponential. If one were to add in the volume and revenues from B&N and Amazon for their tablets (and why not, since both are android-based) then the growth in usage and revenues for total android-based apps (whatever the source) vs. iOS is even more impressive.

This is so not true. Anyting that starts out small can also totally fail, stagnate, or experience only moderate slow growth.

Sigh. When comparing a new entrant to a market to the existing monopoly or majority incumbent, measuring improvement in %age terms doesn't really mean a lot, because the growth is from such a low level. Comparing %age improvement or drop-off makes much more sense once the initial exponential growth phase has ended.
For example, between 2008 and 2010, US ebook revenue grew 1274%. What can we actually learn from that number? It grew a lot, but would our reaction have been any different if it had been 1000% or 3000%? The numbers just don't really mean anything.

Sigh. When comparing a new entrant to a market to the existing monopoly or majority incumbent, measuring improvement in %age terms doesn't really mean a lot, because the growth is from such a low level. Comparing %age improvement or drop-off makes much more sense once the initial exponential growth phase has ended.
For example, between 2008 and 2010, US ebook revenue grew 1274%. What can we actually learn from that number? It grew a lot, but would our reaction have been any different if it had been 1000% or 3000%? The numbers just don't really mean anything.

Sigh, indeed. The Google store isn't a "new entrant" to the market. It's been around for four years. So the initial growth phase has already ended, and the growth mentioned in the article I linked to was not from the initial levels but from January of this year.

Your ebook example isn't relevant to anything as it refers to growth over a 2-year period. Moreover, you present hypothetical growth rates in a vacuum. What were the revenues at the start of 2008? And what were corresponding revenue trends for hardback and paperback books? One would need to know this in order to determine how impressive the growth is.

If I understand correctly, Google Play now has the same number of apps as the iOS app store, but generates only 1/4 of its revenue. Otherwise put, an iOS app will earn, on average, 4x more than its Android equivalent.

This despite the fact that Android represents >70% of the global market.

If I understand correctly, Google Play now has the same number of apps as the iOS app store, but generates only 1/4 of its revenue. Otherwise put, an iOS app will earn, on average, 4x more than its Android equivalent.

While I agree that developers are still earning more out of sales through iOS, your logic doesn't necessarily hold true. It would be perfectly possible for the Play Store to earn a quarter of the revenue with the same number of apps if it had only a quarter of the number of paid apps.

Given that we know that ad-supported apps are much more prevalent on Android, it's possible that the disparity in revenue between the two platforms for a particular paid app is closing.

While I agree that developers are still earning more out of sales through iOS, your logic doesn't necessarily hold true. It would be perfectly possible for the Play Store to earn a quarter of the revenue with the same number of apps if it had only a quarter of the number of paid apps.

Given that we know that ad-supported apps are much more prevalent on Android, it's possible that the disparity in revenue between the two platforms for a particular paid app is closing.

Graham

In the statistics we're talking about I don't see any distinction between revenue generated from sales and revenue generated from ads.

If I understand correctly, Google Play now has the same number of apps as the iOS app store, but generates only 1/4 of its revenue. Otherwise put, an iOS app will earn, on average, 4x more than its Android equivalent.

This despite the fact that Android represents >70% of the global market.

Seems like a pretty bad argument to develop for Android.

You sure are lucky that you will have a place to hide a year from now when even the profitability metrics have turned against Apple. I can hear you now: "sure they only have 25%of the tablet market, but they make 40% of the profits". Both numbers will only decline further over time.

Standing at the beach and shouting won't stop the tide from coming in. And it seems that the new Apple management is only capable of managing a slow decline from the top, not a new push to higher levels.

holymadness, give it up... you're just feeding the Apple haters and providing a nice target for the Android lovers... and before HansTWN (who sadly will derive great pleasure if Apple has problems) has a go at me, please note that I use a Samsung Galaxy II S (and love Android on it), a 4th Gen iPad (which I also love using... far more than my Android tablet - now demoted to a Photo Frame) and a range of other equipment across a variety of OSs so the only thing I'm prejudiced about is fairness and that is in very short supply in the platform/OS wars...

The market for Android and iOS apps seems to be rather different. Android targets everything from low end devices to high end devices. iOS targets the high end. This skews revenues per unit in Apple's favour since it is doubtful that the people buying low end Android devices are buying as many apps or willing to pay as much per app. Note that this says nothing about the revenues generated by a particular app. It is also worth considering that Android apps are developed for a plurality of reasons, ranging from open source to commercial software. If you have people developing software to give away for altruistic reasons, of course the revenues portion is going to be slanted. The number of apps available is also skewed because of that since many apps are just forks of preexisting apps.

Not that it really matters. Both Android and iOS are healthy enough to serve existing users. I choose Android because it is better for my needs. Other people choose iOS because it is better for their needs. As long as both are thriving, I don't see a point to these holy wars.

holymadness, give it up... you're just feeding the Apple haters and providing a nice target for the Android lovers... and before HansTWN (who sadly will derive great pleasure if Apple has problems) has a go at me, please note that I use a Samsung Galaxy II S (and love Android on it), a 4th Gen iPad (which I also love using... far more than my Android tablet - now demoted to a Photo Frame) and a range of other equipment across a variety of OSs so the only thing I'm prejudiced about is fairness and that is in very short supply in the platform/OS wars...

Just analyzing the situation as it is, I have no horse in this race --- actually I will get a Nokia Lumia 920 later this month and I just switched from a WebOS/Android tablet to a Surface RT. So I can hardly be called an Android lover. But the Android wave is rolling and Apple is taking steps back, rather than boldly stepping up to the plate and bringing us new things.